A review by ericarobyn
Dark Blood Comes from the Feet by Emma J. Gibbon

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Dark Blood Comes From the Feet by Emma J. Gibbon is a spellbinding collection of dark tales that will force readers to deal will all kinds of emotion while reading. This is one you won’t want to miss!

Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book from the editor in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.

When I started this collection, I was so excited to finally dive in! When I saw Emma’s request come through on my review request form, I was pumped! First of all, the blurb for the book rules. Combine that with the look of the cover, as designed by Don Noble?! I was totally captivated.

Reading this collection was quite the ride! Each tale was so unique. While each definitely had an element of horror, some of them had a heavy dose, while others were lighter.

I just couldn’t help myself with this one. I read through it in just two sittings.

My favorite stories from the collection include:

• Sermon from New London
• St. Scholastica’s Home for Children of the Sea
• Black Shuck Tavern
• The Tale of Bobby Red Eyes
• Janine
• This Is Not the Glutton Club
• Rise

Per usual, here are my notes on each tale included in this collection:

The Limbo Lounge – Four Stars

When women are sent to this strip club limbo, they must understand where they are or they risk going down… 

What an interesting tale on limbo. That would certainly be a tough place to wind up in day after day after day. I feel so bad for the ones that are there forever that have to try to help the others see what’s going on.

Porch – Four Stars

When a cat starts bringing small creatures home, the woman is already distressed and it only gets worse as the things brought to the porch get bigger and bigger… 

This story followed a steady line as the sizing of the animals increased, but the ending was so unpredictable! I loved it! 

Ghost Maker – Three Stars

A man that works on a crew of a paranormal show finds out some personal news. He reacts in the moment without giving it any thought. But can he fix what he’s done?

This story was heartbreaking. I’ll never understand why people stay in relationships they don’t see lasting. It’s awful for everyone involved. 

Sermon from New London – Five Stars

Set up as a sermon, this woman is speaking to others and telling a very punk-filled story. 

I want more from this one! What a blast this tale was! I loved all of the punk elements that were included. 

St. Scholastica’s Home for Children of the Sea – Five Stars

The children in this home are a bit unusual. When a young woman is sent to work there, she quickly feels as though she has found her calling. 

I absolutely loved this one! The first glimpse of what the children were like was wonderful. And what happens toward the end was intense! 

Crab – Three Stars

When a man who is reluctant to spend a day at the beach with his family sees this his son being awfully still at the edge of the water, he goes to investigate… 

While quick, this one packed an unsettling punch!  

Black Shuck Tavern – Five Stars

A young woman who works at a club is unnerved by a big black dog that has been hanging around. She recognizes the dog from her childhood as well. Her boss thinks it’s Black Shuck, but could it be?

I loved how much character development we got in this one. I was really rooting for this character and wanted her to be okay. The ending was perfect!

The Last Witch in Florida – Four Stars

When a man goes to the witch to interview her, this witch has no problem chatting him up. But he’s about to find out just how smart she is. 

This one was a quick one! I loved that it was basically a stream of consciousness. 

Cellar Door – Four Stars

Written as a long monologue to her missing girlfriend, this is a heartbreaking tale of loss and a cursed house.

This one has some lovely gothic and eerie vibes. With each story that the main character recollects, I got more and more nervous. 

Whitechapel – Three Stars

When two college students go on a death tour of Europe, the boy feels like he would just follow this girl anywhere and do anything she wants…

Phew! The tour they went on was so dark but so interesting. I was so nervous to see where these two were going to end up. 

The Tale of Bobby Red Eyes – Five Stars

When bored kids decide to go to a place that is the scene of a local haunted legend, of course they try to spook each other as they’re all already afraid. 

With a mix of storyline and a spooky rhyme, this story will make you a bit claustrophobic and super anxious as you wait to see what happens next. 

Devour – Three Stars

This relationship is a messy one where they both crave unusual benefits from one another…

Phew. This one made me queasy. I couldn’t help but focus on how toxic the relationship was. Yikes! 

Infection – Four Stars

This tale centered upon a girl that worshipped her friendship with another girl. But when the friend becomes ill, it’s a slippery slope that the main character needs to travel upon. 

Another wickedly dark and heartbreaking tale. It was shocking to see how far the main character would go to be just like her friend.  

Janine – Five Stars

When Amanda interviews Janine, she thinks she’s about to get a great story. But by the end of the interviews and what comes next, will she still write it all down?

When this one started going in the direction of the old urban legend, I had to chuckle. But that feeling quickly dissipated when I read what happened next. This one was so sad and scary! 

Surviving My Parents – Three Stars

When a man goes home to try to talk his parents out of a crazy idea, he’s faced with more than he thought he would have to deal with…

My goodness. I can’t imagine being in this poor man’s place. What a horrible thing to have to think about! 

This Is Not the Glutton Club – Five Stars

When a man goes to visit his uncle, he assumes his uncle wants to talk about his end of life plans. But when the man arrives at his uncles home, he’s shocked to see his uncle looks like he hasn’t aged since he last saw him. The uncle later beings telling a story… 

Good lord, the uncle was in a club that was formed to see who can survive the most illnesses… all within just three years. But they’re still searching for the top of the illnesses. 

Rise – Five Stars

A woman that is just trying to scrape by starts to have very itchy shoulder blades. She can’t afford to go to the doctor, so she just tries to cover it up. 

This poor woman! But what a great story to end on! 

My Final Thoughts on Dark Blood Comes From the Feet

While I would put this book squarely in the horror genre, it’s such a real-world type of horror, even with the bits of the fantastical or paranormal. There was so much within the pages of this collection that is going to haunt me. I mean, I can’t stop thinking about completing taxidermy on humans… So…

A must read for fans of horror that will creep under you skin and settle in for the long haul.